as in seducing
to influence someone with a bribe
meat inspectors were bribed, and the contaminated beef was sold to the public
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Recent Examples of bribing
Additionally, Langan, the former CEO who owns a home near Central City, and several other RCI executives are facing criminal charges in New York for allegedly bribing an auditor there in exchange for lucrative tax breaks.
—
Justin Wingerter, Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2026
There's no shame in a little bit of bribing to get the job done!
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 25 Dec. 2025
Nur is also accused of bribing a juror in the case and later pleaded guilty to that charge.
—Nick Lentz, CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025
His administration was involved, some would say, bribing soon to be former mayor Eric Adams, who eventually dropped out of the race.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 18 Nov. 2025
Organized crime flourished as gangs like Al Capone’s capitalized on the lucrative bootlegging trade, bribing police and selling dangerous, poor-quality alcohol.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025
Police were dispatched to the scene and the owner eventually lured the pet back down to the ground by bribing it with a cookie.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2025
The Department of Justice brought charges Thursday against the voting machine company Smartmatic, accusing it of allegedly bribing an official in the Philippines to win contracts, according to court papers filed in the Southern District of Florida.
—Olivia Rubin, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2025
Then, in February of this year, Coral Gables criminal defese attorney David Macey was indicted along with Pagan on charges of bribing Costanzo in a scheme to obtain confidential information about drug-trafficking suspects to recruit them as potential clients for his law firm.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
Justin Wingerter, Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2026
There's no shame in a little bit of bribing to get the job done!
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 25 Dec. 2025
Nur is also accused of bribing a juror in the case and later pleaded guilty to that charge.
—Nick Lentz, CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025
His administration was involved, some would say, bribing soon to be former mayor Eric Adams, who eventually dropped out of the race.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 18 Nov. 2025
Organized crime flourished as gangs like Al Capone’s capitalized on the lucrative bootlegging trade, bribing police and selling dangerous, poor-quality alcohol.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025
Police were dispatched to the scene and the owner eventually lured the pet back down to the ground by bribing it with a cookie.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2025
The Department of Justice brought charges Thursday against the voting machine company Smartmatic, accusing it of allegedly bribing an official in the Philippines to win contracts, according to court papers filed in the Southern District of Florida.
—Olivia Rubin, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2025
Then, in February of this year, Coral Gables criminal defese attorney David Macey was indicted along with Pagan on charges of bribing Costanzo in a scheme to obtain confidential information about drug-trafficking suspects to recruit them as potential clients for his law firm.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bribing
Verb
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In Arthur Penn’s 1975 neo-noir Night Moves, Griffith is Delly Grastner, a 16-year-old runaway with a little girl’s voice and a grown woman’s body—on full display in an underwater nude scene—intent on seducing Gene Hackman, 43 and paunchy.—
Lili Anolik,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
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The video featured a tired Madonna running into a mysterious man and woman in a hotel hallway, with the two seducing the singer into a night together, done as a tribute to the 1963 French film Bay of Angels, which starred Jeanne Moreau.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The archiving, and the exhibits that sometimes result, serve the dual purpose of not just saving the materials but also luring people back to Modulightor.—
Anthony Paletta,
Curbed,
13 Jan. 2026
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In many cases, a school's financial resources became more important to luring talent than its on-field tradition.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Events like moving to a new neighborhood, buying a new car, changing jobs or even adjusting one’s daily commute can be enough to warrant a review of one’s risks and coverage.—
Ethan M. Stone,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
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Overflowing with furniture and decor to breathe new life into your home and make any room tidier, there are so many helpful pieces worth buying.—
Ali Faccenda,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Spector told me that, when customers abandon an item in their shopping cart, WhatsApp is six times more effective than e-mail at persuading people to complete their purchases.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
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Tsunetomo referred to the example of Nakano Shōgen, who brought peace after persuading his lord, Mitsushige, to apologize for not paying proper respect to certain families within the clan.—
Kenneth Andrew Andres Leonardo,
The Conversation,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Political opponents appear as corrupting forces, stripped of individual texture.—
Philip Martin,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
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Achim Kempf, the Chair for Physics of Information and AI in the Department of Applied Mathematics, and Koji Yamaguchi, then a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Waterloo, co-discovered a method to copy quantum information without corrupting it.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Still, enticing sign-up offers from major issuers, including Citi, which recently revamped its Strata Elite card, can promise thousands of dollars in value.—
Chris Dong,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Jan. 2026
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In theory, these tubs offer a luxurious, spa-like experience enticing to homeowners in the middle of a large bathroom renovation.—
Cori Sears,
The Spruce,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The seemingly benign question, however, has already revealed itself as a flashpoint and the latest sign of the commission having its authority challenged.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
15 Jan. 2026
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Illinois’ balance of talent — in particular the combination of Wagler, Ivišić and Boswell — proved too much in the end for Northwestern, which has struggled despite having Martinelli return for his senior season.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Alice is paranoid, thinking her roommate is rearranging her shower supplies and that someone might be poisoning her food.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
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In one case, in the year before Makandal’s death, a servant in Saint-Domingue named Médor was arrested for poisoning his enslaver to obtain his freedom.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bribing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bribing. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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